Scholarship Athletes

Krissi Woodward 2008

Krissi Woodward, daughter of Ross and Penni Woodward grew up on a farm in the small town of Lapel. She has 2 sisters, Pandora and Jacki, 5 dogs and 2 cats. She learned to count by going to the barn and counting the babies born in each litter of pigs. Krissi has been competing in gymnastics since the age of 5. Her career started at Anderson Gymnastics and moved to DeVeaus in 2000, a move she considers one of the best decisions in her life. While at DeVeaus she was a state champion multiple times and a 5 time national qualifier. She was named Miss Congeniality at the 2005 State Meet.

Kristine is a graduate of Lapel High School, class of 70 students. In school she was able to be a football manager and cheerleader earning her a Letterman’s jacket. She was also named the 2007 Homecoming Queen. This summer Kristine will be recognized as a 10 year 4-H member. She has participated in the Foods and Beef BBQ projects as well as exhibiting swine. She has been honored in the past as a Grand Champion on her Foods projects, Reserve Grand Champion with her barrow, and as the Hamilton County Pork Ambassador. Krissi will be attending The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio as a member of their gymnastics team. She plans to major in Fashion Merchandising.

Nicole Krauter 2008

Gymnastics has been a part of my life since I was 2, and I have been a member of the DeVeau’s family since 2001. I graduated from Carmel High School involved in National Honor Society, student government, and

elementary school mentoring. I would like to thank Joan DeVeau, my coaches, my parents, Kurt and Risa Krauter, and my siblings Casey, Kelly, Kevin, Katie, Courtney and Michael for their encouragement, love and support. I must give the ultimate glory and praise for all of my accomplishments to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As a result of the thrilling gymnastics rollercoaster ride, I have had great experiences and have many opportunities ahead of me. Some of my favorite memories include National Championships with Region 5 at Virginia Beach, LA, Oklahoma, and Orlando; travel meets to Las Vegas, New York City shopping, Florida beaches, Chicago Navy Pier, San Diego La Jolla seals, LA “Stick It” auditions, UCLA tour, San Francisco trolleys, Stanford tour, and Arizona mountain climbing; college recruiting visits, Bible studies with teammates; pool and lake parties; girl’s night out; and chats around the vault table and chalk bowl. It has been an honor to be one of the senior leaders of the team along with Kaelie and Krissi. I hope that my enthusiasm, determination, and faith have been a positive influence on my teammates. I am proud that I have achieved my goal and will be competing for Ohio State University on a full athletic scholarship.

Kaelie Baer 2008

I graduated from Columbus East High School in May of 2008. I will be attending UCLA on a full ride gymnastics scholarship. I was blessed in my gymnastics career to find DeVeaus. I have had the opportunity to compete with an amazing level 10 team, and our love and team spirit has come together so well over the years. We have a bond that I do not think a lot of other teams have. My favorite times as a gymnast at DeVeaus include receiving a full ride, four trips to Nationals, trips together to different states, and the times you all came down to play on the lake. Late night talks and all the laughing were some of my favorite memories. Each week I looked forward to our Saturday afternoon Bible studies after practice. Jesus is a huge part of my life and without Him I would not be where I am today. He has truly blessed our team as we have seen over and over again. Throughout my gymnastics career at DeVeaus I have learned many lessons on discipline, time management, and how to deal with different types of personalities. And I think I can drive the route from Columbus to Fishers without looking! All of these have shaped the person I am today and will continue to help me in my future at UCLA and after.

Jessica Staton 2007

Jessica Staton, 17, of Fishers, has flipped, balanced and swung for nearly 13 years of her life at DeVeaus School of Gymnastics perfecting her talent as a gymnast. Recently all of her hard work paid off when The Ohio State University offered Staton a full-ride gymnastics scholarship.

Its a dream come true, said Staton. Knowing that with only one scholarship left, I was the one Coach Carey Fagan wanted to be a Buckeye.

When asked if she felt all the years in the sport had been worth the sacrifices, she said, Yes, definitely. And I encourage all of the younger girls at the gym to stick with it because its worth it.

Staton, who is nicknamed Reggie by her teammates, claims vault is her best event but she enjoys floor the most. Staton competes as a Level 10 gymnast, which is the top level of the Junior Olympic program developed by the national governing body of the sport, USA Gymnastics. In fact, Staton earned a spot to the Junior Olympic National Championships in 2005 and 2006, the highest level you can achieve as a Level 10 gymnast.

Staton, who is coached by Peter Zhao, Tom Strange, Amy Scales and Jan Exner, said her best memory in the sport is vault talks with her teammates!

Staton, who trains 23 hours per week at DeVeaus School of Gymnastics, is a senior at Hamilton Southeastern High School. She excels not only in her sport but also in school. Shes ranked 21 out of a class of 733. Her future career ambition is to become a physical therapist.

When asked how she earned the nickname Reggie, She laughs and says, When I was 4 years old in Joan DeVeaus class I really liked Reggie Miller and wouldnt do any of my skills unless Joan called me Reggie. Joan thought it was so funny because I looked nothing like Reggie but everyone started calling me Reggie and it stuck.

Outside of gymnastics Staton enjoys hanging out with friends, going to school sporting events, listening to music and shopping.

Her family includes her dad, Michael; mom, Karen; 15-year-old sister Tiffany; 13-year-old sister Cynthia; and newly adopted brother Ashton, who is 3 months old.

Staton is looking forward to competing for DeVeaus as a Level 10 in 2006-07 and then heading to The Ohio State University in the fall of 2007 to compete on the gymnastics team as a Buckeye.